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POST-WAR UNREST AND HARDSHIP

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Economic Environment

At the end of The Great War, hopes were high for a prosperous gas industry within a growing economy. The Prime Minister, Lloyd George promised the returning troops “a land fit for heroes to live in”.

Instead of Utopia, they found unemployment and shortages with the world economy in a state of disarray, leading to the Wall Street crash in 1929. UK strikes in 1918 had already cost 6 million man days but this exploded in 1919 to 35 million with a daily average of 100,000 workers on strike. The establishment of Industry Councils and Arbitration Boards did not lead to the smooth working conditions and better relations that were anticipated. Nevertheless, the Society played an active role during this period of shortages, industrial disputes and rationing of resources.

In 1920, the escalation in the cost of labour and materials in the gas industry was giving problems to both the employer organisations and the contractors. Significant work was undertaken with the National Gas Council on Contracts, which incorporated sliding scales for adjusting the increases or decreases in the cost of labour and materials.

The National Gas Council proposed that fixed prices should apply for all future tenders. The SBGI resisted such a move, suggesting that any fixed rates should be for a maximum period, such as six months. Finally, a settlement was reached, which alleviated the situation, through discussions with the Institution of Gas Engineers.

Nevertheless, unrest continued and the Society devoted a large part of its Annual Report in 1921 to considering the reasons for deteriorating industrial relations and their remedies. The AGM scheduled for 15th June 1921 was deferred until 5th October 1921, due to the miners strike.
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